Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, is home to more than 15 million people and is still growing as people move there from rural areas to find work. It is unique among the cities of the world, having one foot in Europe and the other in Asia. Istanbul is Turkey's economic capital and biggest trade center, home to nearly half of the country's wealth.
Istanbul is European Capital of Culture in 2010.
Therefore you can find long queues at the entrance of any main museum, palace or mosque. 

      Inside Hagia Sophia

   Inside Hagia Sophia

            Inside Sultan Ahmed Mosque

             Dolmabahce Saray

      Top of mosque

Man washing inside a mosque garden

       XXL Doner Kebab & Elasic Ice cream

        Meat meat meat

   Restaurant window in Istanbul

   Mountain of Turkish Delight

Doves I

Doves II

Cats have a special place in Islam. Mohammed was a big cat lover, as were several other important Muslim religious figures. So teachings about cats are plentiful in Islam, and they're nearly always about the goodness of cats. One story is how Mohammed so loved his cat that, when the cat fell asleep on his sleeve, Mohammed cut off the sleeve rather than to bother his little friend. A cat supposedly saved Mohammed at some point, too. There are stories of people who died and went to hell specifically because of their poor treatment of cats. And it's especially good luck if you spot a cat sleeping on the grave of a loved one.

There are generally a lot of cats in Islamic society, but they're really pervasive in still-Muslim cities of the former Ottoman Empire, like Istanbul and Sarajevo.

Cat with one eye

     Cats love tulips

        Too tired to talk

Silk Tulip

Vivid colours

                     Nazar talismans

A nazar or evil eye stone is an amulet that is meant to protect against the evil eye.

It is usually seen in the form of a flattened bead or hanging ornament, made by hand from coloured glass, and used as a necklace, or attached to bracelets or anklets. Typically it is composed of concentric circles or droplet shapes – from inside out: dark blue (or black), light blue, white, and dark blue (occasionally a yellow/gold edge circle) – and is sometimes referred to as blue eye. As well as being worn by people, including babies, it can be seen on cars, doors, horses and even cell phones.

        Spices in Spice Bazaar

Turkish mosaic lamp